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YouLead Initiative For Sustainable
Development In Africa

About The Initiative

Youth Led Advisory, Extension and Development
(YouLead) initiative is a revolutionary approach to Enterprise Driven, Youth Led Design Thinking approach to Community Empowerment for Africa. It is a joint initiative of Programme for Capacity Development in Africa (P4CAD Africa) and its partners, led by Ycenter USA.

We bring together development actors, governments (in their national and subnational perspectives), private sector, research, and academia to support youths working with farmers in their rural domains; to create agribusiness, incubation, technologies and extension (aiTex) Hubs. This program is in line with United Nations SDG framework and supported by GODAN. See more information below for our partners.

Program Structure

The entire program is delivered using Experiential Learning Pedagogy, which means as participants you will be engaging in hands-on activities rather than learning only theories. Get a chance to specifically work on your respective project ideas (if any) or pick a problem statement under the context of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Lunch, snacks and working materials for the entire course duration will be provided at the venue. No extra charges.

Phase 1
Monday to Wednesday: 10am - 6pm

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Module Name

1

Introduction to Human Centered Design

2

Understanding Problems in Agriculture Value Chain

3

Complex Problem breakdown

4

Introduction to Research using Empathy

5

Open Data & Blockchain in Agriculture

6

Understanding Agriculture Present and Future from a Socio-Economic Perspective

Phase 2
Thursday to Friday: 10am - 6pm

#

Module Name

1

Creative Problem Solving

2

Understanding Market Linkages and Policies

3

Prototyping Human Centered Solutions and Feedback

4

Agribusiness, Incubation, Technologies, and Extension

5

Business Model Canvas

6

Final Business Pitch

Additional Benefits For Participants

As part of our commitment towards creating a global ecosystem of entrepreneurs, innovators and change-makers, all participants will receive continued mentorship for their projects by our global leadership team beyond the workshop.

Who is this for?

Entrepreneurs, Agro-economists, Value Chain enthusiasts, Blockchain enthusiasts, Innovators and Professionals who wish to learn the principles of Entrepreneurship, acquiring or upgrading skills in the field of Agriculture Value Chain using Human-Centered Design innovation.

Meet Your Facilitators

Insights and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and experts in the field.

Kiringai Kamau

| Specialization: Agriculture Value Chain

Kiringai Kamau is the Founding Executive Director for Ycenter Africa based out of Nairobi, Kenya. Kiringai is an Agricultural Economist, Value Chains Analyst, a Knowledge Specialist and an ICT4Ag/ICT4D Enthusiast. He is retained by growing number of organizations including the EU/GIZ Transformation Program to advise the Kenya government on the strategic directions of reforming the agricultural sector in Kenya. His area of research is trade intensification through producer driven value chain organizations. He founded VACID Africa as a community sustainable agribusiness innovation promotion initiative that promotes knowledge in the areas of Value Addition and Cottage Industry Development (VACID). This he achieves through collaboration with communities and local champion organizations. His work identifies champion organizations as local agricultural initiatives that are lead by an individual whom VACID Africa further trains to become knowledge workers in their area through our Community Experiential Learning Program.

Dhairya Pujara

| Specialization: Business & Financial Models

Dhairya Pujara is the Founder, CEO at Ycenter, he is responsible for building a global ecosystem bringing in corporates, universities, NGOs for creating experiential educational programs. Dhairya is the curator for "Global Shaper Hub Philadelphia" by World Economic Forum. He has been a global TEDx organizer and a sought-after public speaker on entrepreneurship and international development. He delivers keynote and guest lectures in some of the top business schools and conferences around the globe. Dhairya sits on the advisory board for European Commission program LASIN - Latin American Social Innovation network. In 2015, American Immigration granted him an approval for special category work visa reserved for "an individual of extra-ordinary abilities”. He received his Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University.

Rohaan Goswami

| Specialization: Human Centered Design

Rohaan Goswami is the COO and Director of Product Design at Ycenter India. He leads the engineering and design teams and is chief architect of Ycenter’s global experiential learning platform EPIC. He is also in charge of driving Ycenter's worldwide expansion programs, specifically in Asia and the Middle East. When not solving challenges at Ycenter, he works as the Creative Director at ProjectOne, a non-profit media collective that he founded in 2016 to celebrate human diversity. He travels across India documenting and researching on its various sub-cultures, and is frequently invited as a visiting faculty and guest speaker to teach courses and deliver talks on Design Thinking, Storytelling and Social Innovation across top universities including IIT-Bombay, IIT-Roorkee, TAPMI and KLE Tech. In November 2017, Rohaan was invited as a delegate from India to the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, in association with the United Nations Development Program. He believes that the shortest distance between two people is a story, and that the world can be brought closer together through efficient storytelling mediums and experiential education.

Dr Ibrahim Halkano

| Specialization: Emerging Technologies, Fintech, Business & ICT

Dr Ibrahim is Evangelist at IMMO Foundation, Crypto/ICO Advisor, Blockchain Strategist, Pro-Poor Fintech Advocate, A global consultant who has 15years experience in ICT specializing in Enterprise Resource Planning Systems. He has worked in multiple countries across various industries globally in Finance and Supply Chain Management. He has PhD in Business Administration from University of Nairobi.

Testimonals

Hear what previous participants have to say about the Ycenter workshop experience.

Justin Malone

Wharton School Of Business

“This is a great program for anyone who is interested in learning more about startup life and how to create solutions to problems through business”

Shyam Manja

Deshpande Foundation

“An amazing platform which enables to think in different dimensions and come up with innovative ideas and solutions. Design thinking at its best!”

Segev Yarden

Temple University

“I think I will look back on Ycenter comPACT program for many years to come as the place I started taking my dream, and my ability to fulfill that dream, seriously.”

Jili Zhou

George Washington University

“I have to say that after two days of training, I became more confident in working towards my entrepreneurial dream.”

Avishek Havanur

KLE Institute of Technology

“This was a hands-on, thought-provoking program that left me inspired; feeling much more influential with many actionable takeaways I can apply immediately!”

Namrata Das

IISWBM

“An amazing platform, which enables to think in different dimensions and come up with innovative ideas and solutions.”

Our Global Partners

Our network includes leading universities, high impact organizations, industry leaders and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Contact Us

For more information / inquiries, you can contact us directly using this form or call us at +254 733375505